Britain set for double Murray mania

Jamie Murray became almost certainly the first player in British Davis Cup history to announce his own selection yesterday. It somehow fitted the independent image of the Murrays that it should be he, and not the captain John Lloyd, who told the world that his name will be in the squad.

It means that Jamie and Andy Murray could become the first pair of brothers to represent Great Britain since John himself and his elder brother David 27 years ago.

The elder Murray has been told he will be in the squad even though that will not be formally announced until next Tuesday, though it remains to be seen whether he will actually be on Lloyd's teamsheet for the tie against the Netherlands in Birmingham starting on April 6.

But that did not prevent Jamie Murray feeling euphoric. "It's the best thing, to represent my country at the highest level and I'm excited," he said. "I have been thinking about this, and it would be great to play with Andy for my country if I get in the final four.

"But I'm sure we'll have a lot of opportunities to do that in the future, whereas the chance to play with Tim [Henman] or Greg [Rusedski] doesn't come around too often. I'm in a no-lose situation."

He added that because Henman and Rusedski have dominated British tennis for so long he did not see this chance coming. But this year's surge up the world doubles rankings to No43, after a fine run in which he won two ATP Tour doubles titles, suggests otherwise.

The 21-year-old has grown sharper with his volleys and overheads and turned his swinging left-handed serve into a real weapon. His most notable recent successes, however, have come with another left-hander, Eric Butorac, an American, and the awkward angles created by this unusual pair - known on tour as Stretch and Booty - have been a significant factor in his recent success.

His brother Andy's feelings on the matter are well known. "We have a lot of fun together and it makes me happier to win with him than winning singles," the 19-year-old said recently. The hope must be that the enthusiasm their relationship generates could lift the team, much in the way that the personality of David Lloyd, the less successful brother, did when Britain reached the 1978 Davis Cup final.

Meanwhile, Andy Murray must negotiate a difficult path in the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami this week, especially after being troubled by three injuries at Indian Wells. The world No12 needs to recover fully because the incentive - a place in the top 10 - and the obstacles, two well-known names in his first three matches, are big. Four wins would probably get him there, but his second match should be against Lleyton Hewitt and his third could be against Fernando Gonzalez, the Australian Open runner-up. Murray is set to open against Ryan Sweeting, a 19-year-old former US Open junior champion.

Last week's knee, hip and foot injuries prompted some surprising post-Indian Wells remarks, in which he questioned his professionalism in taking to the court at all against Novak Djokovic, to whom he lost limply. "It was maybe not the best decision I have made, to play," he admitted. "Maybe in future when I do feel like that when I am against a guy who I will be playing again in the future, it's not the best idea to play, at 50-60%." Murray predicted it would only be two or three days before he felt better, and, although he was practising again yesterday, only tough tests will show whether he is right. They will come early.